EVANSVILLE, Ind.- University of Southern Indiana Volleyball returns from its bye week to host Morehead State University in the 2026 Ohio Valley Conference home opener on Friday and Saturday.
 
Friday's match will be played at 6 p.m. and streamed on ESPN+ for those with a subscription. Saturday's 2 p.m. match is dedicated to Breast Cancer Awareness, and fans are encouraged to wear pink to show their support. Admission to both matches and all USI Volleyball home games this season will be free, courtesy of ProRehab.
 
The Screaming Eagles are coming off their bye week after opening conference play on the road on September 25 and 26 at Eastern Illinois University. USI split the series with the Panthers, winning the second game of the weekend in five-set thrillers.
 
Senior Ashby Willis earned her third weekly OVC award for her performance at EIU, as she tallied 39 kills for 4.33/set, hitting a .276 efficiency. Along with her 28 digs (3.11/set) and seven blocks in the series, Willis has posed herself as a consistent all-around threat.
 
Sophomore Aysa Thomas earned her third Setter of the Week honor for her performance at EIU, tallying 97 assists for 10.78 per set. Thomas also recorded 24 digs, 12 kills, seven blocks, and three aces.
 
Scouting Morehead State:
With an overall record of 6-8 and 2-2 in conference play, MSU sits at third in league standings so far in the 2026 season. In the opening weekend of conference play, the Eagles got swept (3-0, 3-0) by conference leader Lindenwood at home in Morehead. MSU bounced back in the second weekend of OVC play, defeating UT Martin on the road in two four-set wins. Morehead State leads the series history between the two programs 9-1, with their most recent win coming from the 2025 OVC Tournament semifinals, where they beat USI in four sets.
 
MSU's Hollan Everett leads the conference in kills per set with 4.06 and is the reigning OVC Offensive Player of the Week after leading the Eagles to two wins over UTM with 5.6 kills/set and tallying 24 kills in the series finale. Opposite of Everett is freshman outside hitter and reigning rookie of the week Ella Warwick, who tallied 25 kills and 23 digs in the UTM series.
 
For game updates on the Screaming Eagles' first home OVC series, fans can follow USI Athletics and usivolleyball on Instagram, X, and Facebook, and online at usiscreamingeagles.com.